Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 11

Seeing this, Tan Xiao and Lin Muhan turned their heads to glance at each other and, without realizing it, quickened their pace toward the courtyard.

The yard was filled with people, and the sound of wailing drifted from inside the house.

The two had intended to go inside to take a look, but after hearing the chatter of the crowd, they pulled back their steps.

“That old woman Yang has lived her life for nothing. To think she’d still be after easy money at her age—she deserves it.”

“Stop talking like that. If my husband hadn’t come by to return a hoe, they’d be preparing her funeral feast tomorrow.”

“I can’t blame her; anyone would be devastated. Having a lifetime of savings swindled is upsetting enough, but then that god-awful daughter-in-law comes over just to curse her… who could stand that?”

The discussions in the courtyard quieted down considerably as the sound of an argument erupted from inside the house.

“Are you even human? That is our mother! How can you speak to her like that?”

“Hmph, she’s your mother, not mine. If she had agreed to lend me the money, would it have been stolen? When her own grandson was getting married, she wouldn’t take the money out to buy a house, obsessing over those ‘investments’ instead. Getting cheated serves her right.”

“That was Mom’s retirement money!”

“Ha, retirement? Well, the money’s gone now, and she’s still alive and well, isn’t she?”

Hearing this, neither Tan Xiao nor Lin Muhan could stand it any longer. They pushed through the crowd and entered the house.

“Supporting one’s elderly parents is a legal responsibility for children,” Lin Muhan said coldly, her voice carrying an innate authority.

Zhu Ying, who had been arguing with Yang Kaifeng, paid no heed to her words. She pointed a finger at Lin Muhan and demanded, “Who are you? This is our family business. Why is an outsider like you meddling? Get out of here, now!”

Both Tan Xiao and Lin Muhan were incensed. It was rare to see someone so self-righteous when they were so clearly in the wrong.

Tan Xiao gave Lin Muhan a reassuring look and held up her phone. “I’ve recorded everything you just said. When we go to court, this will be solid evidence.” Anticipating what Zhu Ying might say next, she struck first: “You might not care about your own reputation, but what about your son?”

Zhu Ying choked on her words, her face flushing red then turning pale.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered, starting to walk away. “I’m busy, I don’t have time to bicker with you.” Before she finished speaking, she brushed past Tan Xiao and hurried out the door.

Yang Kaifeng patted Mother Yang’s shoulder and said with a flushed face, “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Remembering something, she turned back to Mother Yang. “Mom, tell Lawyer Lin everything about how you were cheated. Lawyer Lin said there might be a way to get the money back.”

These words were more effective than any miracle cure. Mother Yang immediately stopped crying and recounted the whole story.

The gist was similar to what Yang Kaifeng had mentioned: the money was swindled in Binhai City via bank transfer. Furthermore, the scammers had given Mother Yang a contract, the contents of which were actually quite close to what she had described.

To be safe, Lin Muhan sent the company name from the official seal to a friend at the Bureau of Industry and Commerce to check. Upon learning it was a fake, she went to the police station with Yang Kaifeng and her mother to file a report.

After all the chaos, it was already dark by the time they returned to the farm.

After washing up, Tan Xiao went to the balcony. Just as she sat down, Lin Muhan’s voice drifted over.

“If we can’t get it back, what will they do?”

Tan Xiao turned to look at Lin Muhan, who was staring into the distance, and replied, “When I first came to the farm, how did you see me? How did the workers see me?”

Lin Muhan froze. When she first met Tan Xiao, she thought she was foolish. When she heard Tan Xiao was changing the crop varieties, she thought she was overestimating herself.

Now, the tomatoes and honey sweet potatoes were developing exactly as Tan Xiao’s plan had predicted. The workers were even whispering among themselves that this year’s harvest might not be worse than previous years.

With no drop in yield and the use of pure ecological farming, even someone like her with little market knowledge knew that once these tomatoes and sweet potatoes hit the market, they would sell easily.

“Until the very end, nobody knows what the result will be. Even if I lose, at least I tried. When I look back on this in the future, I won’t have any regrets,” Tan Xiao said earnestly.

This was a lesson her grandfather and father had taught her. They told her: “Don’t be hesitant or afraid—especially once you’ve set your sights on something. You should charge forward without looking back. Success is great, of course, but even if you fail, at least you’ve been true to yourself.”

Lin Muhan felt a moment of realization and tightened her grip on her lap. “I understand. I will do everything in my power to help them recover that money.” Even if she couldn’t, she wouldn’t feel ashamed to face Yang Kaifeng and her mother.

Over the next three days, she was constantly on the move for this case, activating every connection she had built over the years to track down the scammer.

After teaching the workers how to use plant ash, Tan Xiao spent her time stationed in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse contained thirteen varieties of tomatoes currently planted. They were now in bloom, and she was using fans to facilitate pollination. If all went well, she would have “Five-Color Tomatoes.”

Additionally, she had planted endives, lettuce, eggplants, and cucumbers. Because each vegetable has different temperature requirements, she needed to record their status daily and adjust the temperature accordingly.

Furthermore, because this greenhouse had been abandoned by the previous farm owners, although the plastic film had been replaced, the equipment was aging, which added some difficulty to the temperature regulation.

One day, as Tan Xiao rode her electric scooter back from the greenhouse to the courtyard, she saw Xiao Tianxiong and his daughter surrounding Lin Muhan, showering her with gratitude.

“Lawyer Lin, you are the savior of our entire family,” Xiao Tianxiong said excitedly.

Yesterday, he had received a call from Lawyer Chen saying he no longer had to pay the compensation. They hoped he would keep his word and not pursue the matter further.

Having been restless and anxious over this, Xiao Tianxiong was overjoyed to hear the news. Not just him—even his mother, who was in her eighties, wept with relief upon hearing they didn’t have to pay.

He hadn’t forgotten that this was all thanks to Lawyer Lin.

Lin Muhan shook her head slightly. “This is just what I should do. Any other lawyer would have done the same.”

“Lawyer Lin, please don’t be so humble.” Xiao Tianxiong hesitated before adding, “That Lawyer Chen told me himself—if it had been any other lawyer, the outcome might not have been the same.”

He looked around, then slapped his forehead in frustration. “Since you won’t accept money, you must accept this.” He ran toward his parked car and returned holding a silk banner.

Lin Muhan hadn’t expected Xiao Tianxiong to give her a banner. She stared at the eight words embroidered on it: “Guardian of the Law, Relieving the People’s Worries.” Her pupils constricted slightly.

She had never imagined that one day she would receive a banner—especially one like this.

She accepted it carefully. Looking at the red-rimmed eyes of Xiao Tianxiong and Xiao Ran and their faces full of gratitude, she felt in that moment that all the hardship of memorizing the Constitution had been worth it.

After seeing off Xiao Tianxiong and his daughter, she was about to carefully put away the banner when her phone rang.

It was a call from Su Han.

“Have Tan Xiao come home. I have something to ask her.”